The Right Time
by falafel90
Summary: Finn approaches Rachel to talk. Is the time finally right for them? Finn/Rachel. Spoilers up to 1x20 Theatricality.


A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Glee fic, and I'm a little nervous to put it up. Hopefully it's decent! Just as a warning, there are spoilers in this up to Theatricality, so if you haven't seen it yet, you might not want to read it! But enjoy! And review!

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Finn ran his fingers through his hair and slowly approached Rachel. He felt nervous, and he figured he probably _looked_ nervous. She once told him that he wore his emotions on his sleeve, and though he did not completely understand the metaphor, he thought it might mean that his feelings were obvious. That, or that his clothing choices told people when he was angry or whatever. He sighed. Rachel was the one who understood metaphors, not him.

When he reached her locker, he took a deep breath and asked, "Do you want to, you know, talk about it?" He cringed as the words came out of his mouth. Why would she want to talk about it with him?

"Talk about what?" Rachel said as she slammed her locker closed. She looked up at him briefly, but then stared at the floor and began walking. Finn followed her, jogging to keep up.

"Well," he said, "_you know_." He thought it was obvious. And if he thought it was obvious…well, then, wasn't it?

"Are you attempting to subtly hint at the fact that Jesse and I broke up?" she asked, quickly turning to face him. "Are you trying to bring up the issue that he is now, in fact, a member of Vocal Adrenaline again, and he never liked me?" Her eyes grew hard. "Or are you trying to get at the fact that you said that we wouldn't be friends anymore if Jesse was playing me?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at him, and Finn grabbed his forehead, attempting to recover from her fast-paced speech and figure out what exactly she had said to him.

"I—I just wanted to"—Finn paused, thinking—"I don't know, see how you were doing…with everything that happened with Jesse, and with your mom, and all _that_." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and stared at Rachel. "I just…want to make sure you're okay. That's all."

Rachel's face softened. She pulled him off to the side of the hallway by the cuff of his denim jacket and looked at him with her large brown eyes. She looked scared and…what was that word? _Vulnerable_. She looked vulnerable, Finn thought. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Rachel hugged herself, while Finn watched awkwardly, unsure of what he should do.

"I'll be okay," Rachel said, looking at her feet. "But," she said, her voice cracking, "it's like every time I find someone that says they like me, it's fake." Finn wanted to reach out to her, to hold her, but he couldn't. He knew he was one of those people she was talking about. "I mean, Jesse, Noah…"—she looked up at him—"you." She turned to the side and wiped at the small tears that began to form at her eyes. "I don't know." Rachel sighed. "And I certainly don't know why I'm telling you this." She let out a small, defeated chuckle. "Maybe it's because you're the first person besides my dads and my therapist to ask me how I'm feeling."

Finn opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. What was there to say?

"I like you." That was the only thing he _could _say. It was simple, and honest, and it was Finn.

The two were silent again, but this time, Finn took her hand in the two of his.

"I have told you this before," Finn said, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb, "but…maybe it means more now than ever. I want to be your boyfriend." Rachel pulled her hand away. "I—I—I'm sorry, for everything I've put you through. You don't deserve any of it. But—I'm ready now. I'm ready for a relationship with you and I promise, I can be the right guy for you." Finn was breathless by the end of his ramblings. He was hoping for a hug, or at least…or at least a smile, or something, _anything_, but—

"Finn," she whispered. "I really appreciate that. I truly do. But…" Finn's heart was sinking. "Not now." More tears slid down her cheek. "You might finally be ready to be a boyfriend, but I'm just not ready to be a girlfriend." Rachel took a step back. "I need time, Finn. I'm sorry."

Finn furrowed his eyebrows. It was never the right time. Would they ever be ready for a relationship at the same time?

"I just…"

"I know," she said. "I know. But do you really want to be a rebound? Do you really want to be that guy, Finn? I know what it feels like to be a rebound. It's not fun." Finn felt ashamed.

"That—that was—" he tried to explain, but she was right.

"It's okay. You just found out you weren't the father of Quinn's baby," Rachel said. "And being tied down so quickly after was…alarming. So you ran, not because you didn't like me but because you didn't want to be in a relationship so soon after Quinn." There was no emotion in Rachel's face. "I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to be the one to run."

"Rachel," he said, "Rachel. You don't know that's going to happen. We're so…_right_."

"If it happened once, Finn, it can happen again," Rachel said. "If we're so _right_, then we'll be right in a few months, when I've gotten over…everything."

"My feelings won't change, Rachel," Finn said. "I don't think you need time. I think you like me just as much as I like you, but you're afraid. You think that in a few months, I'll run back to Quinn, which, by the way, will never happen in a million years, or Brittany, or Santana, or some other girl, but guess what?" His voice was soft and sweet. "I'll _still_ like you." He made his way over to her little by little. "I'll _still_ like the way you wear those argyle sweaters and plaid skirts. I'll _still _like the way you put gold stars on everything. I'll _still _like how it feels when we sing together, and I'll _still _like how it feels when I hear you sing and I realize all over again that you're the only one I want to be with." Rachel's hand covered her mouth as tears continued to fall. "I'll _still_ like you. I'll _still _love you."

When Finn finished, Rachel stared at him. He was self-conscious, very aware that he just exposed everything he had been feeling to the only girl who mattered anymore.

And, suddenly, she was kissing him. She was kissing him more intensely, more fervently than she ever had before. She grabbed the back of his neck, and he tangled his fingers in her hair, and they were _kissing_.

She broke away from him after a minute and said, panting, "Okay, we'll give it a try. I've always kind of liked you."

Finn grinned widely, and Rachel shoved him.

"Don't get cocky," she said with a small smirk. She reached down and grabbed his hand.

"What time is it?" Finn asked as they walked towards the room they rehearsed in. "I think we might be late for Glee…"

"Oh no!" Rachel said. "How mortifying! I'm such a hypocrite!"

"Don't worry. You're hair's all messed up. I'm pretty sure people aren't going to ask questions—they already know where we've been and what we've been doing. If you ask me, we have a pretty good excuse."

Rachel blushed and Finn beamed. Maybe this time _was_ the right time for them after all.


End file.
